Flutter

Cluster of Katydids

Being in Ushijima's arms felt right. Slotted against each other like a set of spoons. You fit, you were right together. He made you so unbelievably happy. Even though the two of you were taking it slow, it was almost as if you had never felt anything more intimate in your entire life. It was almost too good to be true. First-year you would have lost your mind.

You turned in bed. It was a lazy Sunday. The two of you had gone out the previous night, spent time with some friends at a restaurant and later came back to fall asleep in each other's arms. The sun shone brilliantly through Ushijima's window. He adjusted, pulling you closer to him in bed. You ran a finger over his eyelashes, causing them to twitch before fluttering open. "Your eyes are so pretty." You whispered, not needing any volume when you could practically hear his heartbeat through your own chest. You saw his eyes dilate as his gaze met yours. Sometimes it was like nobody was more perfect than Ushijima, even when he did something stupid. His eyes closed once more and you pressed your lips to his eyelids gently.

March was creeping up and the two of you would soon be going home before your second year. Though you already had an apartment and a few roommates lined up for the next semester, you couldn't help but feel a bit of apprehension in your gut due to moving into a new place. At least, though it hadn't been intentional, it was only two blocks from Ushijima's house and around four from your department on campus. As of late, the thoughts and pressures of keeping up rent and having to start a job along with your school work worried you. Ushijima had a sports scholarship, which paid for, in part, his housing. Meanwhile, what did you have?

You sighed. "What is wrong?" Ushijima asked, carefully running his hand over the small of your back in a soothing manner.

You closed your eyes and buried your face in his chest, breathing in as much of his scent as you possibly could. "Nothing, just a passing thought."

Over the break before going back to your second year of college, of course there was plenty of visiting with friends and relatives, updating them about how your college life was going and interesting points in your major. There was so much visiting and planning that it was difficult to see your boyfriend. It was fine by both of you. The night before you left, he had borrowed one of his teammate's cars and helped you move your stuff into your new apartment. The two of you had passed out, thoroughly exhausted after you had decided (and undecided) several times that you didn't like where the existing furniture was in the room. It was nice to have time to yourself, but you had to admit you were getting accustomed to seeing Ushijima every day in some manner or another.

Since the two of you were no longer in the Shiritorizawa dorms or living near campus, the few towns that separated the two of you felt like an ever-growing distance over the ten day break between semesters.

The break went by too quickly, still, you were glad that you and Ushijima could ride the train back together. Even though he lived a few stations away, neither of you had so much as thought about visiting the other. After all, Ushijima was more pragmatic and figured that it would be easy enough to make up for lost time when you moved into your respective apartments.

Your stomach jumped when you saw him standing on the platform as the train came to a halt at his station. You grinned widely, he entered the train and even though it was barely noticeable, he was smiling at you too. After knowing Ushijima for so long, you didn't need big, showy displays of affection to keep you happy. It was easy to be content with the lack of public affection when he would show you  just how much he cared for you when the two of you were alone and behind closed doors.

You could remember White Day, he brought you into his apartment and made another lovely dinner, presenting you with yet another bottle of wine. The two of you kissed passionately, made love, and after one of the most satisfying fucks you had in almost a year, he presented you with a braided chain with a small pendant on it. Nothing flashy, but important all the more. You turned it over in your hands, unable to wipe the giddiness from your face, on the back a single word was engraved. "Love". 

Your apartment was nice. Your room was small, however it came mostly furnished and the rent was cheap because two other girls lived there. Still, at least you didn't have to worry about housing or being too far from campus. The only rule was that boys weren't supposed to be allowed overnight, not an uncommon rule in most girl's shared apartments. At least it was close to Ushijima's house, and he could come over as long as he didn't stay the nights.

The second year workload was a bit harder than you had anticipated, nothing you couldn't handle. Between Ushijima's practices and your classwork, the two of you would have to get creative in how you organized your time. Even without Ushijima constantly being around, you found company in your housemates.

The oldest one, Osaki Remon, was a tall, slender woman with a darker complexion and even darker hair. She was a senior in the same major as you. More often than not, Osaki was bogged down with homework and her internship, but if she came back to see you struggling over something in the living room, no matter how exhausted she was, she would come over and help you and explain the concepts a little bit better.

There was a freshman too, Sawada Hotaru, making you the second oldest. Sawada was a small, robust girl with rosy cheeks and unruly brown hair. Her eyes were kind and brown, hidden behind the chunky pink frames of her glasses. She was in the nutritional and health department, so she was often whipping up new dishes with extra protein or other additives. For the most part, they were good, but putting whey protein in brownies turned out to not be the move.

It was odd to see Ushijima in her kitchen cooking. It was midday on a Sunday, He was wearing your roommate's frilly apron. "Your boyfriend looks so cool," Sawada commented, nibbling on one of her newest creations: chocolate whey wafer cookies.

You had to agree, even under the most ridiculous circumstances, Ushijima commanded an air of absolute seriousness, which almost made it even harder not to laugh than it already was.

You snickered, watching him go at it in the kitchen. You knew before he had almost no cooking experience, but he had learned several dishes just to impress you. It made your heart flutter when you saw him cooking intently. As opposed to most meals he had cooked as a bachelor, these foods weren't plain and primarily for purely nutritious needs.

You slipped off the couch and over to the kitchen, wrapping your arms behind him, leaning your head on his spine, giving it a tender kiss. You moved with him as he cooked, and you knew he probably enjoyed the contact, though he was often not the one to initiate such displays, much less with others around.

He practically melted in your arms, continuing to busy himself over the cooktop. It was moments like this, the mundane little gestures, the fingers running through your hair as you read a book in bed, the good luck kisses before each of his games, and even the way he made sure to keep your favorite snacks in the cupboard for when you stayed at his apartment: the little considerations and tender actions were what you knew you would remember and cherish the most.